Strategy

My goal was to transform an advertisement into an engaging, participatory experience that could build brand connection at live events. By maintaining the original ad's whimsical character but adding direct user control, the installation creates moments of joy and surprise that align with Mailchimp's playful brand identity.

The wall-sized projection and immediate movement mirroring were designed to create an immersive, instantly intuitive interaction that would draw participants in and encourage spontaneous engagement.

Design

The environment was carefully modeled to match the original ad's setting, creating a cohesive connection to the source material.

Development began with solving the technical challenge of connecting Kinect motion data to Unreal Engine 5. After exploring various approaches, including TouchDesigner and OSC protocols, I implemented IPI Recorder and IPI Mocap Studio to stream skeletal data through UE5's Live Link plugin.

I created a full environment in Unreal Engine 5, complete with lighting and textures that replicated the original advertisement. I also rigged both the character and camera using Blueprint scripting. UE5 was essential in development due to its real-time rendering and live inputs.

Hair Simulation

The last step to creating the avatar was covering the monster in hair. I found Groom, a plugin, that allowed me to export my model into Blender to generate hairs. I then imported the hairs into UE5 to simulate physics while attaching it to the underlying model.

Results

The intuitive nature of the movement mirroring allowed participants to engage immediately, while the real-time fur physics and full-body control maintained their interest. The project demonstrates the potential for transforming traditional advertising into interactive brand experiences that create memorable connections with audiences.

Strategy

Design

Hair Simulation

Results

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